4:00 A.M.
The digital clock glowed in the dim light. Yuki turned to the staff, her voice sharp with concern. "What happened to the ground staff of Orchha?".
"We are unable to contact them," the staff member replied, their face pale.
Yuki's brow furrowed. "Have you contacted the students?".
"We have tried, but none of them were answering," the staff answered.
"Please stay safe," Yuki commanded, grabbing her gear. "I will be there soon.".
At Orchha
The air was thick with the scent of ozone and sulfur. Continuous shooting was going on inside the temple.
"Where are Ansh and Lucky?" Kirito shouted over the din.
"Don't know!" Reno yelled back.
"Shit! Atomic Slash!". Kirito lunged forward, attacking from the back, but the devil blocked the attack with his Burning Punch.
"Lightning Magic: Dance of Death!" Asuna's voice rang out. Blades made of white thunder began acting up on the fingertips of Asuna. There were a total of six blades.
"Diverge!". At Asuna's command, all blades diverged, artfully avoiding the devil.
"Avoiding me?" the devil taunted as the electricity crackled in all directions.
"You forgot me!" Kirito roared. "Atomic Rail!". He directly attacked the devil, converting his time into a sword. He tried to attack the devil's core, but the tip stopped just a moment before he hit the core. A mana barrier was resisting the attack.
"Aaha!" Kirito's skin started burning from the proximity to the devil's aura. He clicked his teeth, refusing to back down. "This is nothing!".
"Attack!" Asuna screamed. All the blades came down in a flash of speed, aiming for the head.
"Volcano!" the devil bellowed.
"What?" Kirito gasped.
Molten magma erupted upward, countering the blades in the mid-air and canceling the strike. Asuna's hand got many cuts from the feedback. "Tchk, this is too much," she hissed, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The side effect of this spell was going too intense.
Suddenly, she noticed Lucky and Ansh giving a signal to attack. Drawing on her remaining strength, Asuna stood back to her feet and tightened her grip on her sword. She swung her sword over her wounded hand, the blood acting as a catalyst.
"Lightning Magic: Kaminari no ha ni yara on shi!" Asuna cried.
"Stone Magic: Mrutyu Mudra!" Ansh roared.
"Ice Magic: Ais dryaganaka garjan!" Lucky added his power.
"Levitate!" Reno commanded.
They all attacked the devil from all directions. Reno dropped a massive iron beam onto the devil's head.
"At last, so interesting," the devil murmured, a twisted smile on his face. "Flamma Grigonis!".
A huge explosion occurred, melting everything in the surroundings. Everyone was falling backward and got heavily injured. But Kirito was still standing. He turned his slime into a full-body suit, but he was at his limit. He fell on his knees. The devil stood in front of him and punched his face.
His eyes were fading. Kirito fell down. "I don't have energy," he whispered to the dirt. "Am I going to die? Did I lose?".
"Goodbye, young master," the devil said, lifting his hand to kill Kirito.
"No!" Asuna screamed.
Suddenly, the devil's hand burst from a solid light. "Lucious tut," Prgyanjali muttered. "This is my chance!". She fired, but a flame arrow destroyed her rifle and one of her eyes got injured.
"Aaha!" Prgyanjali cried out.
"No, this is not that boy," the devil muttered, looking around in confusion. "I already put them to sleep, so who is casting this spell?".
Suddenly, Yuki came behind him. She grabbed his face and threw him out of the temple.
"How did he break the barrier?" the devil wondered as he tumbled. Yuki followed the devil into the sky.
"So you can fly too," Yuki said.
"You look stronger," the devil noted.
"I don't wanna talk to you after what you have done to them," Yuki replied in a cold voice. "Shinjitsu no hikari no kunshu: Golodon!".
A dragon made of light descended from the clouds, evaporating the devil in one fell swoop. All that remained was a green core, which Yuki grabbed and kept for research.
"Shit, this demon made me use my Monarch form," Yuki sighed.
The rescue team arrived, giving support to each other. One of the members saw Kirito in a really bad condition.
"Get the emergency bed ready! His condition is very serious," the rescue member shouted. "We will have to airlift him. Tell the chopper quickly. Call the Grandmaster!".
"Do what you want to do, but let nothing happen to any of them," Yuki commanded.
Shortly after, a chopper arrived and Kirito was airlifted to Bhopal. The others were transferred to the city hospital, where Ansh and Lucky stayed and told Yuki the whole story.
"Sir, we found them but they are not in good condition," the staff reported.
"Take them to hospital immediately," Yuki ordered.
Police and the rescue team reached inside the temple. The temple condition was not good; many pillars were broken.
"I can't fight anymore, I want to sleep now," Reno murmured, sitting down against the wall and fainting.
"Kirito..." Asuna whispered, lying on the ground with her hand towards him.
Ansh and Lucky stood up with difficulty and moved towards the center.
"Go, take some rest," Yuki said softly. "Soon we will leave for the HQ.".